TWI913038B - Plug connectors, socket connectors and connector assemblies - Google Patents

Abstract

A plug connector, a socket connector, and a connector assembly are disclosed. The plug connector includes a base plate and at least one grounding shield. The base plate has a mating plate portion, on the surface of which are disposed a plurality of pairs of signal conductive pads and a plurality of grounding conductive pads respectively disposed on both sides of each pair of signal conductive pads. The at least one grounding shield is mounted on the surface of the base plate, and the grounding shield and the base plate together surround at least a portion of the plurality of pairs of signal conductive pads. The socket connector includes a plurality of pairs of signal terminals and a plurality of ground terminals. When the plug connector is mated with the socket connector, the grounding terminal of the socket connector is electrically connected to the grounding shield, and each pair of signal terminals of the socket connector is electrically connected to a corresponding pair of signal conductive pads, wherein the grounding shield covers and shields the free ends of the multiple pairs of signal terminals.

Description

Plug connectors, socket connectors and connector assemblies

This invention relates to a connector assembly, and more particularly to a connector assembly comprising a plug connector and a socket connector.

Chinese invention patent announcement CN105529547B discloses a shielding component including a wall having a tubular container. The tubular container extends along the entire connection area and is adapted to accommodate signal lines. The wall and shielding component provide shielding in the connection area and also have a shape that allows for simple manufacturing and installation of the wall and shielding component. The wall has a U-shaped cross-section; in other embodiments, the wall may also have a V-shaped or C-shaped cross-section. The wall with the U-shaped cross-section has a common base and engages two legs (or sides) located on the longitudinal side of the cable assembly. The common base and legs thus extend along the cable direction. The wall may further have an open longitudinal side. Through this open longitudinal side, the signal line can be connected to a PCB. The PCB may include conductive layers, especially grounding layers, so that the walls together with the PCB shield the connection area 360° around the cable direction.

Chinese invention patent announcement number CN106463858B discloses a cable connector comprising a shielding structure mounted on a substrate and electrically connected to a grounding pad. The shielding structure includes a cap and multiple sidewalls extending from the cap toward the substrate. Each of the transmitting and receiving cables is positioned between a different pair of sidewalls.

Chinese utility model patent publication number CN114389113A discloses a first shielding component in the form of a pair of first shielding plates. Each of the pair of first shielding plates extends at least along the entire length of the corresponding terminal block in the longitudinal direction and extends at least along the tail of multiple grounding terminals of the corresponding terminal block and the crossbar in the transverse direction. When the cable is connected to multiple conductive terminals of the cable connector, the pair of first shielding plates are respectively mounted (e.g., by laser welding) from the outside of the two terminal blocks onto and in contact with the multiple grounding terminals of the corresponding terminal blocks, and press against and in contact with the shielding conductor, thereby holding the shielding conductor on the crossbar and making the shielding conductor in contact with the crossbar. In this way, the first shielding component, grounding terminal, crossbar and shielding conductor together form a shield around the connection between the signal conductor and the signal terminal, thereby improving the signal integrity of signal transmission between cables and cable connectors.

Chinese invention patent publication number CN116073193A discloses a ground bus coupled to a circuit card. The ground bus can be electrically connected to the circuit card, for example, to the ground plane of the circuit card. The ground bus provides electrical shielding for the signal conductors of the cable. The ground bus is electrically connected to the shielding structure of the cable, such as the cable's ground shield and/or the cable's shielding wires. In an exemplary embodiment, the ground bus is soldered to the ground shield. The ground bus extends along the exposed portion and provides shielding for the exposed portion. The ground bus is shaped and positioned relative to the exposed portion to control the impedance along the signal path.

Chinese invention patent publication number CN116191136A discloses that by setting a first grounding plate and a second grounding plate, and placing the first grounding plate and the second grounding plate between the first mating plate and the second mating plate along the thickness direction of the tongue plate, the mutual interference between the first mating plate of the first conductive terminal and the second mating plate of the second conductive terminal during signal transmission is reduced, thereby improving the quality of signal transmission.

Chinese invention patent publication CN117096679A discloses multiple grounding terminals spaced apart on the surface of a plastic substrate for electrical contact with grounding terminals within a female connector. A first signal terminal group (i.e., two first signal terminals) is provided between every two grounding terminals to provide electromagnetic shielding for the first signal terminals within the first signal terminal group. An electrical connection structure is embedded within the first insulator of the plastic substrate. The electrical connection structure is fixed to and electrically connected to the multiple grounding terminals to connect them in series, forming a common ground mesh structure. This achieves a common ground effect similar to PCB vias, improving the electromagnetic shielding effect between the various first signal terminal groups, thereby improving the crosstalk performance of the cable module and enhancing its signal transmission quality.

However, for connectors with different structures, various electromagnetic shielding designs still need to be developed to prevent electromagnetic interference from affecting signal transmission, so that the connector can have higher signal integrity at high transmission speeds.

Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide a plug connector, socket connector and connector assembly that can improve the problems in the prior art.

Therefore, in some embodiments of the plug connector of the present invention, a substrate and at least one grounding shield cover are included. The substrate has a mating plate portion, on the surface of which multiple pairs of signal conductive pads and multiple grounding conductive pads respectively disposed on both sides of each pair of signal conductive pads are provided. The at least one grounding shield cover is mounted on the surface of the substrate, and the grounding shield cover and the substrate together surround at least a portion of the multiple pairs of signal conductive pads.

In some embodiments, the grounding shield has multiple contact portions that respectively contact the grounding conductive pads, multiple wall portions located between the contact portions and spaced apart from the multiple pairs of signal conductive pads, and multiple connecting portions that are respectively connected to the contact portions and the wall portions.

In some embodiments, the plug connector further includes a plug housing, and the grounding shield further includes a plurality of fixing portions 154 formed by bending from the wall portions toward the direction away from the connector portions, the plug housing covering the portion of the grounding shield and the fixing portions.

In some embodiments, each of the contacts has a protrusion that extends toward the substrate in a direction away from the wall portion, the protrusion being used to press against the grounding conductive pad.

In some embodiments, the plug connector further includes two grounding shields respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the substrate.

In some embodiments, the contact portions of the two grounding shields correspond to each other and are connected by a connecting segment.

In some embodiments, the walls are connected in a flat plate shape.

In some embodiments, a receiving groove is formed on one side of the surface of the connecting portion.

In some embodiments, the connecting parts have a contact ramp facing an insertion direction.

In some embodiments, the contact portions, the wall portions, and the connecting portions have the same length along a front-to-back direction.

In some embodiments, the length of the wall portions along a front-to-back direction is longer than that of the contact portions.

In some embodiments, the substrate further includes a connecting plate portion electrically connected to the mating plate portion.

In some embodiments, the surface of the connecting plate is provided with multiple pairs of signal conductive pads and multiple grounding conductive pads respectively disposed on both sides of each pair of signal conductive pads.

The present invention's socket connector includes an insulating body, a terminal module, at least one first grounding shield, and at least one second grounding shield. The terminal module is disposed on the insulating body and includes a terminal group and an insulating base. The terminal group includes multiple pairs of signal terminals and multiple grounding terminals, and the insulating base partially covers the terminal group. The first grounding shield is located on one side of the grounding terminals. The second grounding shield is located on the other side of the grounding terminals, and the first grounding shield, the second grounding shield, and the grounding terminals together surround the multiple pairs of signal terminals.

In some embodiments, the first grounding shield is electrically connected to one side of the grounding terminals in a vertical direction, and the second grounding shield is electrically connected to the other side of the grounding terminals in the same vertical direction.

In some embodiments, each of the signal terminals and the grounding terminal includes a fixed section and a welded section that bends and extends relative to the fixed section. The first grounding shield includes a first shielding area and a second shielding area connected in a generally L-shape. The first shielding area is used to shield the fixed section of the plurality of signal terminals, and the second shielding area is used to shield the welded section of the plurality of signal terminals.

In some embodiments, each of the first shielding area and the second shielding area has multiple contacts electrically connected to the grounding terminals, multiple wall portions located between the contacts and corresponding to the multiple pairs of signal terminals, and multiple connection portions connected between adjacent contacts and adjacent wall portions.

In some embodiments, the first grounding shield further includes multiple sleeve portions and multiple connecting sections, the sleeve portions being respectively fitted onto the fixing sections of the grounding terminals, and the connecting sections respectively connecting the sleeve portions to the contact portions of the second shielding area.

In some embodiments, the first grounding shield further includes a plurality of folded-back connections that extend from each wall of the second shielding area toward the fixed section of the plurality of signal terminals and connect to a wall of the first shielding area.

In some embodiments, each sleeve portion of the first grounding shield extends a tab in a front-to-back direction, and the socket connector includes two second grounding shields that are spaced apart in the front-to-back direction and respectively contact the tabs of the sleeve portions of the first grounding shield.

In some embodiments, each grounding terminal has a contact section that protrudes and curves in a left-right direction.

In some embodiments, each grounding terminal has a contact section that protrudes and curves in a vertical direction.

In some embodiments, the first grounding shield further includes a plurality of connecting segments, which are respectively connected between the wall portions of the first shielding area and the wall portions of the second shielding area.

In some embodiments, the socket connector includes two second grounding shields that are spaced apart along a front-to-back direction and respectively contact the fixed sections of the grounding terminals.

In some embodiments, each grounding terminal has a contact segment, which is a pair of clamping tabs.

In some embodiments, the first grounding shield includes multiple wall portions and multiple crimp portions, the wall portions corresponding to multiple pairs of signal terminals at intervals, and the crimp portions having a spring-loaded structure to contact the grounding terminals.

In some embodiments, the first grounding shield has multiple contact portions, multiple wall portions located between the contact portions and corresponding to the multiple pairs of signal terminals, and multiple connecting portions connecting the contact portions and the wall portions respectively, the contact portions being used to contact the grounding terminals.

In some embodiments, each grounding terminal has a metal portion made of metal and a conductive plastic portion formed by covering the metal portion with conductive plastic, and the contact portions of the first grounding shield are covered by the conductive plastic portion.

In some embodiments, each grounding terminal includes a fixed section and a welded section that bends and extends relative to the fixed section. The second grounding shield has a second grounding shield body and a plurality of housing portions, which are respectively fitted onto the fixed section and the welded section of the grounding terminal and have one end in contact with the second grounding shield body.

In some embodiments, the first grounding shield is disposed within the insulation body and is plate-shaped and spaced apart from the plurality of signal terminals.

The connector assembly of the present invention includes the aforementioned plug connector and receptacle connector. The plug connector includes a base plate and at least one grounding shield. The base plate has a mating plate portion, on the surface of which are disposed a plurality of pairs of signal conductive pads and a plurality of grounding conductive pads respectively disposed on both sides of each pair of signal conductive pads. The at least one grounding shield is mounted on the surface of the base plate, and the grounding shield and the base plate together surround at least a portion of the plurality of pairs of signal conductive pads. The receptacle connector includes a plurality of pairs of signal terminals and a plurality of ground terminals. When the plug connector is connected to the socket connector, the grounding terminal of the socket connector is electrically connected to the grounding shield, and each pair of signal terminals of the socket connector is electrically connected to a corresponding pair of signal conductive pads, wherein the grounding shield covers and shields the free ends of the multiple pairs of signal terminals.

The grounding shield of the plug connector of the present invention, together with the substrate, at least partially surrounds the plurality of pairs of signal conductive pads on the mating plate portion of the substrate. Furthermore, the first grounding shield, the second grounding shield, and the grounding terminals of the socket connector of the present invention together surround the plurality of pairs of signal terminals of the terminal module. Moreover, when the plug connector is mated with the socket connector, the grounding terminals of the socket connector are electrically connected to the grounding shield, and the plurality of pairs of signal terminals of the socket connector are electrically connected to the corresponding plurality of pairs of signal conductive pads. The grounding shield covers and shields the free ends of the plurality of pairs of signal terminals or the free ends of the plurality of pairs of signal terminals to their contact portions. This prevents electromagnetic interference from affecting signal transmission, enabling the connector to have higher signal integrity at high transmission speeds.

Before this invention is described in detail, it should be noted that similar elements are represented by the same designation in the following description.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4 and Figure 6, a first embodiment of the connector assembly 100 of the present invention includes a plug connector 1 and a socket connector 2.

The plug connector 1 includes a plug housing 11, a substrate 12, multiple cables 13, a sheath 14, and at least one grounding shield 15 mounted on the surface of the substrate 12. In this embodiment, the substrate 12 is a circuit board, but in other variations, the substrate 12 may also be an equivalent structure of a circuit board, such as a circuit board made of metal and plastic. The substrate 12 has a connecting plate portion 121 and a mating plate portion 122 located at the rear and front respectively along a front-rear direction D1 (arrow pointing forward). The connecting plate portion 121 and the mating plate portion 122 are electrically connected, and the substrate 12 has an upper surface facing upward and a lower surface facing downward along a vertical direction D2 (arrow pointing upward). The upper and lower surfaces of the connecting plate portion 121 are each provided with multiple pairs of signal conductive pads 121a arranged side by side along a left-right direction D3 (arrow pointing to the right), and multiple ground conductive pads 121b respectively disposed on both sides of each pair of signal conductive pads 121a. The cables 13 are electrically connected to the multiple pairs of signal conductive pads 121a and the ground conductive pads 121b on the connecting plate portion 121, and the connection between the connecting plate portion 121 and the cables 13 is covered by the cover body 14. The substrate 12, the cables 13 and the cover body 14 are assembled together in the plug shell 11. Multiple pairs of signal conductive pads 122b are arranged side-by-side at intervals D3 along the left-right direction on the upper and lower surfaces of the mating plate portion 122, and multiple grounding conductive pads 122c are respectively disposed on both sides of each pair of signal conductive pads 122b, that is, each pair of signal conductive pads 122b has grounding conductive pads 122c on both the left and right sides. In this embodiment, the connecting plate portion 121 of the substrate 12 is a connecting cable 13, but in other embodiments, the connecting plate portion 121 of the substrate 12 may also be connected to a circuit board.

In this first embodiment, two grounding shields 15 are provided, which are formed by bending metal sheets. The two grounding shields 15 are respectively installed on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 12 and contact the corresponding grounding conductive pads 122c. Specifically, each grounding shield 15 has multiple contact portions 151 that respectively contact the grounding conductive pads 122c, multiple wall portions 152 located between the contact portions 151 and corresponding to the multiple pairs of signal conductive pads 122b, and multiple connecting portions 153 respectively connected to the contact portions 151 and the wall portions 152. In this first embodiment, the contact portions 151 and the wall portions 152 extend generally in the left-right direction D3 and are staggered in the up-down direction D2. The connecting portions 153... 3. The contact portion 151 and the wall portion 152 extend approximately along the vertical direction D2. The cross-section of the connected wall portion 152 and the connecting portion 153 in the vertical direction D2 is approximately inverted U-shaped, and both the wall portion 152 and the connecting portion 153 have a shielding effect. The cross-section of the connected contact portion 151 and the connecting portion 153 in the vertical direction D2 is approximately U-shaped, thus making the grounding shield cover 15 generally wavy. The contact portion 151, the wall portion 152, and the connecting portion 153 have the same length along the front-back direction D1. Each wall portion 152 and the corresponding pair of signal conductive pads 122b are spaced apart in the vertical direction D2, thereby making the grounding shield cover 15 and the substrate 12 together surround the multiple pairs of signal conductive pads 122b. In this first embodiment, the contact portions 151 of the grounding shield cover 15 are respectively fixed to the grounding conductive pads 122c of the substrate 12 by welding, but this is not a limitation. Preferably, a grounding layer (not shown) parallel to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 12 is provided inside the substrate 12. Preferably, the grounding layer is electrically connected to the grounding conductive pads 122c.

Referring to Figures 1, 3 to 5, the socket connector 2 is used to mate with the plug connector 1. The socket connector 2 includes a socket housing 21 made of metal, an insulating body 22 made of plastic, two terminal modules 23, at least one first grounding shield 24, and at least one second grounding shield 25. The insulating body 22 is disposed in the socket housing 21, and the two terminal modules 23 are arranged side by side within the insulating body 22. Each terminal module 23 includes a terminal group 231 and an insulating base 232. The terminal group 231 includes multiple pairs of signal terminals 235 arranged along the left-right direction D3 and multiple ground terminals 236, wherein the ground terminals 236 are respectively disposed on both sides of each pair of signal terminals 235, and each signal terminal 235 and ground terminal 236 has a fixed section 235a, 236a, a welded section 235b, 236b extending from the fixed section 235a, 236a in the arrow direction along the front-back direction D1 and bending relative to the fixed section 235a, 236a, and a spring arm section 235c, 236c extending from the fixed section 235a, 236a in the arrow direction opposite to the front-back direction D1, and a contact section 235d, 236d extending from the spring arm section 235c, 236c and bending. The insulating base 232 partially covers the terminal group 231, namely the fixing sections 235a and 236a of the signal terminal 235 and the ground terminal 236 to hold the terminal group 231. Each signal terminal 235 has a contact section 235d with a free end 235e and a contact portion 235f for contacting the signal conductive pad 122b. In this first embodiment, the contact section 236d of each ground terminal 236 is curved and protrudes in the left-right direction D3.

In this first embodiment, each terminal module 23 is provided with a first grounding shield 24, which is disposed on the terminal group 231 along the left-right direction D3 and electrically connected to one side of the grounding terminals 236 in the up-down direction D2, and is located on the side where the fixed section 236a and the welding section 236b bend towards each other. In this first embodiment, the first grounding shield 24 is formed by bending a metal plate. The first grounding shield 24 includes a first shielding area 24a and a second shielding area 24b that are connected in a generally L-shape. The first shielding area 24a and the second shielding area 24b are generally wavy. The first shielding area 24a is used to shield the fixing section 235a of the signal terminal 235, and the second shielding area 24b is used to shield the welding section 235b of the signal terminal 235. Each first shielding area 24a and the second shielding area 24b has a plurality of contact portions 24c that are electrically connected to the grounding terminal 236, a plurality of wall portions 24d located between the contact portions 24c and corresponding to the plurality of pairs of signal terminals 235, and a plurality of connecting portions 24e connecting adjacent contact portions 24c and adjacent wall portions 24d. The contact portion 24c of the first shielding area 24a is electrically connected to the fixed section 236a of the grounding terminal 236. The wall portion 24d of the first shielding area 24a is connected between the contacts 24c by the connecting portion 24e, spanning the fixed section 235a of the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235 and being spaced apart from the fixed section 235a of the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235. Each wall portion 24d is connected to two connecting portions 24e to form an inverted U-shaped shielding structure, and both the wall portion 24d and the connecting portion 24e have a shielding effect. The contact portion 24c of the second shielding area 24b is welded and fixed to the welded section 236b of the grounding terminal 236. The wall portion 24d of the second shielding area 24b is connected between the contact portions 24c by the connecting portion 24e, spans the welded section 235b of the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235, and is spaced apart from the welded section 235b of the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235.

In addition, in this first embodiment, the first grounding shield 24 further includes multiple folded connecting portions 24g, multiple sleeve portions 24h, and multiple connecting segments 24i. The folded connecting portions 24g extend from each wall portion 24d of the second shielding area 24b towards the fixing segment 235a of the signal terminal 235, and are also spaced at intervals corresponding to the welding segments 235b of the signal terminal 235, and are connected to one wall portion 24d of the first shielding area 24a. The sleeve portions 24h are respectively sleeved on the grounding terminals 23... The fixed section 236a of the 6, and the contact portion 24c of the aforementioned first shielding area 24a is electrically connected to the fixed section 236a of the grounding terminal 236 by welding to the sleeve portion 24h. In this first embodiment, each sleeve portion 24h of the first grounding shield 24 extends a protrusion 24j and 24k respectively, the function of which will be explained later. The connecting section 24i connects the sleeve portion 24h and the contact portion 24c of the second shielding area 24b, and is approximately abutted against the welded section 236b of the grounding terminal 236.

In this first embodiment, each terminal module 23 is provided with two second grounding shields 25. The two second grounding shields 25 are generally elongated and wavy, spaced apart along the front-to-back direction D1, and are respectively located on the front and rear sides of the insulating base 232. Each second grounding shield 25 has multiple contact portions 25c, multiple wall portions 25d located between the contact portions 25c and corresponding to the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235, and connected to the adjacent contact portions 25c. Multiple connecting portions 25e between 5c and the adjacent wall portion 25d, and both the wall portion 25d and the connecting portions 25e have a shielding effect. These second grounding shields 25 are electrically connected to the grounding terminals 236 by contacting the tabs 24j and 24k of the sleeve portion 24h of the first grounding shield 24 through the contact portion 25c. The second grounding shield 25 is located on the other side of the grounding terminals 236 in the vertical direction D2, compared to the first grounding shield 24. Therefore, in each terminal module 23, a better shielding effect can be achieved by using two second grounding shields 25 and the first grounding shield 24, together with the grounding terminal 236 surrounding the fixed section 235a and the soldered section 235b of the signal terminal 235. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the second grounding shield 25 may be provided in one or more forms. Furthermore, in this first embodiment, the first grounding shield 24 may be disposed on the insulating base 232 and pressed onto the grounding terminals 236 by insert molding, thereby electrically connecting the grounding terminals 236. The second grounding shield 25 is disposed on the first grounding shield 24 by soldering, thereby electrically connecting the first grounding shield 24 to the grounding terminals 236.

Referring to Figures 2 and 6, when the plug connector 1 is connected to the socket connector 2, the contact portion 235f of each pair of signal terminals 235 of the socket connector 2 is electrically connected to a corresponding pair of signal conductive pads 122b. The wall portion 152 of the grounding shield 15 covers and shields the free ends 235e of the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235. Preferably, the grounding shield 15 covers and shields the free ends 235e of the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235 to their contact portions 235f. The contact segment 236d of the grounding terminal 236 of the socket connector 2 abuts against the outer side of the corresponding connection portion 153 of the grounding shield cover 15 along the left-right direction D3. That is, the contact segment 236d of each grounding terminal 236 extends between the connection portions 153 of two adjacent inverted U-shaped shielding structures and abuts against the outer side of the connection portion 153 of the grounding shield cover 15, thereby enabling the grounding shield cover 15 to perform its shielding function when the plug connector 1 and the socket connector 2 are connected.

Therefore, as described above, the advantage of this invention lies in the fact that, in the plug connector 1, the grounding shield 15 and the substrate 12 together surround at least a portion of the plurality of pairs of signal conductive pads 122b, thus providing a better shielding effect. Similarly, in the socket connector 2, the first grounding shield 24, the second grounding shield 25, and the grounding terminals 236 together surround the plurality of pairs of signal terminals 235, also providing a better shielding effect. Furthermore, when the plug connector 1 and the socket connector 2 are connected... The grounding terminal 236 of the socket connector 2 is electrically connected to the grounding shield 15, and each pair of signal terminals 235 of the socket connector 2 is electrically connected to a corresponding pair of signal conductive pads 122b. The grounding shield 15 covers and shields the free ends 235e of the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235 or the free ends 235e of the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235 to their contact portions 235f, forming a complete shielding effect between the plug connector 1 and the socket connector 2, which can provide better signal integrity at high transmission speeds.

Referring to Figures 7 and 9, a second embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that the two grounding shields 15' of the plug connector 1 in the second embodiment are disposed in the plug housing 11 by an embedded ejection manner, and the contact portions 151 of the grounding shields 15' are respectively pressed against the grounding conductive pads 122c. Each grounding shield 15' also has multiple fixing portions 154 formed by bending from the rear end of the wall portions 152 toward the contact portion 151, and the cross section of each fixing portion 154 in the vertical direction D2 is inverted U-shaped. In other words, the fixing portion 154 is formed by bending twice relative to the wall portion 152, and the plug shell 11 covers the entire grounding shield 15' near the rear end section and the fixing portion 154. By designing the fixing portion 154, the bonding strength between the plug shell 11 and the grounding shield 15' can be enhanced. In addition, the contact portion 151 has a protrusion 151a protruding away from the wall portion 152, that is, towards the substrate 12, for pressing against the corresponding grounding conductive pad 122c, thereby further ensuring that the contact portion 151 can reliably press against the grounding conductive pad 122c. In this second embodiment, the substrate 12, the cables 13, and the cover 14 are modularly assembled together into the plug shell 11, and the grounding conductive pads 122c of the substrate 12 are pressurized to contact the protrusion 151a of the contact portion 151 of the two grounding shield covers 15'.

Referring to Figures 10 and 14, the difference between the third embodiment of the connector assembly 100a of the present invention and the first embodiment is that, in the first embodiment, a grounding shield 15 is respectively provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 12, while in the third embodiment, multiple grounding shields 15” are provided, that is, multiple grounding shields 15” are respectively provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 12, and each grounding shield 15” includes several contact portions 151, walls, etc. The part 152 and the connecting part 153, or, alternatively, each grounding shield 15" in the first embodiment can be modified into a multi-segment discontinuous structure. This design is to accommodate the fact that the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235 of the socket connector 2 may include high-speed signal terminals and non-high-speed signal terminals. Among them, the shielding requirements of high-speed signal terminals are higher than those of non-high-speed signal terminals. Therefore, the position of these grounding shields 15" is mainly to match the position of the high-speed signal terminals. In addition, in this third embodiment, multiple connecting segments 155 are respectively connected between the contact portions 151 of the upper and lower grounding shields 15" to connect the corresponding upper and lower grounding shields 15" into one unit. In this way, the shielding effect can be improved.

As shown in Figure 11, in this third embodiment, each wall portion 152 of the grounding shield cover 15” is longer than the contact portion 151 and the connecting portion 153 in the front-to-back direction D1.

Referring to Figures 12 to 14, compared to the first grounding shield 24 of the first embodiment, the first grounding shield 24' of the socket connector 2 in this third embodiment, as shown in Figure 13, omits the reverse-folded connecting portion 24g and the sleeve portion 24h of the first embodiment in Figure 4. The connecting segment 24i' is connected between the wall portion 24d of the first shielding area 24a and the wall portion 24d of the second shielding area 24b. The contact portion 24c of the first shielding area 24a is welded and fixed to the fixing segment 236a of the grounding terminal 236 in a sheet shape, and the contact portion 24c of the second shielding area 24b is welded and fixed to the welding segment 236b of the grounding terminal 236.

Furthermore, the first grounding shield 24' is directly disposed on one side of the grounding terminals 236 in the vertical direction D2 by welding, and is electrically connected to the grounding terminals 236. Moreover, the two second grounding shields 25, similar to those in the first embodiment, are disposed on the other side of the grounding terminals 236 in the vertical direction D2 by welding, and are electrically connected to the grounding terminals 236, thus forming an effect of surrounding the signal terminals 235 together with the first grounding shield 24'.

Furthermore, in this third embodiment, as shown in Figures 13 and 14, the contact segment 236d’ of each grounding terminal 236 of the socket connector 2 is curved and protrudes in the vertical direction D2. When the plug connector 1 is connected to the socket connector 2, the contact segment 236d’ of the grounding terminal 236 of the socket connector 2 abuts against the contact portion 151 of the corresponding grounding shield 15 in the vertical direction D2, thereby electrically connecting the grounding shield 15. This allows the contact segment 236d’ of the grounding terminal 236 to have a more stable contact with the grounding shield 15.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 14A, the plurality of grounding shields 15” disposed on each surface of the substrate 12 can also be connected as a single unit, as shown in Figure 2, in a continuous structure of grounding shields 15.

Referring to Figures 15 and 18, a fourth embodiment of the connector assembly 100b of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that, regarding the plug connector 1, compared to the first embodiment where the grounding shield 15 has a wavy structure, the grounding shield 15”’ of this fourth embodiment is formed by metal die casting and is in a grid shape. The grounding shield 15’’’ has multiple contact portions 151’ that respectively contact the grounding conductive pads 122c, and multiple pairs of signal conductors are located between the contact portions 151’ and spaced apart. The pad 122b has multiple wall portions 152' and multiple connecting portions 153' respectively connected to the contact portions 151' and the wall portions 152'. In this fourth embodiment, the wall portions 152' are connected into a single flat plate, and the connecting portions 153' are spaced apart along the left-right direction D3. The contact portions 151' are the areas where the bottom of the connecting portions 153' contacts the grounding conductive pads 122c. Therefore, the connecting portions 153' are respectively connected between the flat wall portions 152' and the contact portions 151'.

In addition, compared to the first embodiment, each tab 24j of the first grounding shield 24 of the socket connector 2 is replaced by a pair of clamping tabs 24j', or the contact section of the grounding terminal can be regarded as being replaced by the pair of clamping tabs 24j'. Each clamping tab 24j' extends along the front-rear direction D1 and has an abutting portion 24n for contacting the corresponding grounding shield 15''' of the plug connector 1. The abutting portions 24n of each pair of clamping tabs 24j' bend towards each other to define a clamping portion 24m. When the plug connector 1 is connected to the socket connector 2, the abutting portion 24n of the clamping piece 24j' of the socket connector 2 abuts against the corresponding connecting portion 153' of the grounding shield cover 15”' along the left-right direction D3. Specifically, in this fourth embodiment, each connecting portion 153' of the grounding shield cover 15”' has two abutting portions 24n of the clamping piece 24j' abutting from the left and right respectively. That is to say, the two abutting portions 24n together clamp the connecting portion 153'.

Referring to Figures 19 and 23, a fifth embodiment of the connector assembly 100c of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that, in this fifth embodiment, the two grounding shields 15'''' of the plug connector 1 are formed by metal die casting, and their structure is roughly similar to that of the fourth embodiment, resembling a grid. The grounding shields 15'''' have multiple contact portions 151'' that respectively contact the grounding conductive pads 122c, multiple wall portions 152'' located between the contact portions 151'' and corresponding to the multiple pairs of signal conductive pads 122b, and multiple wall portions 152'' that are respectively connected to the contact portions 151'' and The multiple connecting portions 153'' of the wall portions 152'' and the contact portions 151'' are also areas where the bottom of the connecting portions 153'' contacts the grounding conductive pads 122c. The difference is that each connecting portion 153" is plate-shaped and has a receiving groove 153b formed on one side of the surface in the left-right direction D3. The leading edge of the connecting portions 153" facing the insertion direction (i.e., the direction opposite to the arrow in the front-back direction D1) is a slope extending forward and downward. Therefore, as shown in FIG22, the grounding shield 15'''' and the substrate 12 together surround at least a portion of the multiple pairs of signal conductive pads 122b.

In addition, the insulating body 22 of the socket connector 2 has multiple surrounding walls 221 that correspond to the contact segments 235d of the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235 respectively. These surrounding walls 221 are U-shaped and surround the left and right sides and the end of the contact segments 235d of the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235 respectively, in order to protect the contact segments 235d of the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235 and the shielding space surrounded by the connection portions 153” and the wall portions 152” of the grounding shield cover 15’’’’ and the substrate 12. In addition, in this fifth embodiment, the first grounding shield 24” can be disposed on the insulating body 22 in a generally sheet-like form by an embedded injection method and pressed onto the grounding terminals 236. In this fifth embodiment, as shown in FIG23, the fixing section 236a’ of the grounding terminal 236 has a U-shaped structure. The first grounding shield 24” is generally sheet-like and is stamped to include multiple wall portions 24d’ and multiple crimping portions 24p, as shown in FIG21 and FIG22. The wall portions 24d’ are the unstamped parts of the sheet, which are spaced apart from the spring arm sections 235c of the signal terminal 235. The crimping portions 24p extend in a spring arm structure along the front-to-back direction D1 to contact the grounding terminal 236. The two second grounding shields 25 are long strips that are electrically connected to the fixed section 236a' of the grounding terminals 236 by welding.

When the plug connector 1 is connected to the socket connector 2, the grounding terminals 236 of the socket connector 2 abut against the corresponding grounding shield 15' ...

Referring to Figures 24 to 27, a sixth embodiment of the connector assembly 100d of the present invention differs from the fifth embodiment in that, in this sixth embodiment, the connection portion 153”’ of the grounding shield cover 15’’’’’ of the plug connector 1 does not have the receiving groove 153b of the fifth embodiment, and has a contact slope 153a inclined toward the up-down direction D2 in the insertion direction facing the socket connector 2 (i.e., the direction opposite to the arrow direction of the front-back direction D1).

In addition, in the socket connector 2, the length of the grounding terminal 236 in the front-to-back direction D1 is shorter than that of the signal terminal 235, and the first grounding shield 24''' is plate-shaped and disposed in the insulation body 22. The first grounding shield 24''' is spaced apart from the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235, and its position corresponds approximately to the spring arm section 235c and contact section 235d of the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235. It does not have direct contact with the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235. However, the first grounding shield 24''', the second grounding shield 25 and the grounding terminals 236 together surround the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235.

When the plug connector 1 is connected to the socket connector 2, the grounding terminals 236 of the socket connector 2 abut against the contact slope 153a of the corresponding grounding shield 15’ ...

Referring to Figures 28 to 30, a seventh embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention is shown. The difference from the sixth embodiment is that in this seventh embodiment, each grounding terminal 236' of each terminal module 23” of the socket connector 2 has a metal portion 236e made of metal material, and a conductive plastic portion 236f formed by covering the metal portion 236e with conductive plastic. The metal portion 236e is constructed as described above. In the first embodiment, at the portions of the spring arm section 236c and the contact section 236d, the conductive plastic portion 236f covers the metal portion 236e and is constructed to correspond to the portions of the fixing section 236a and the welding section 236b in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the first grounding shield 24''' of the socket connector 2 is disposed in the conductive plastic portion 236f of the grounding terminal 236' by an embedded injection method and contacts the grounding terminal. The metal portion 236e of 236'. The first grounding shield 24'''' has multiple contact portions 24c', multiple wall portions 24d' located between the contact portions 24c' and respectively corresponding to the multiple pairs of signal terminals 235, and multiple connecting portions 24e' connecting adjacent contact portions 24c' and adjacent wall portions 24d'. In this seventh embodiment, the contact portions 24c' along The contacts 24c' are arranged in pairs in the front-to-back direction D1, and each pair of contacts 24c' contacts the metal portion 236e of the grounding terminal 236' in opposite directions, which corresponds to the fixed section position. The contacts 24c' are covered by conductive plastic portions 236f, and each pair of contacts 24c' is connected by a wall portion 24d' through a connecting portion 24e', such that the wall portions 24d' are arranged in the left-to-right direction D3, and the paired contacts 24c' are also arranged in the left-to-right direction D3. In addition, this seventh embodiment also provides another first grounding shield 24''', which is plate-shaped like in the sixth embodiment, thereby cooperating with the first grounding shield 24'''' to surround the signal terminal to achieve a better shielding effect. This seventh embodiment also provides a second grounding shield 25.

Referring to Figures 31 to 33, in an eighth embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention, the first grounding shield 24'''' and the other first grounding shield 24''' are the same as in the seventh embodiment. The difference from the seventh embodiment is that in this eighth embodiment, the grounding terminal 236 of each terminal module 23"' of the socket connector 2 is entirely made of metal. The second grounding shield 25 has a second grounding shield body 25a and a plurality of housing portions 25b, which are sleeved on the fixing section 23 of the grounding terminal 236. 6a and the welding section 236b are in contact with the second grounding shield 25a at one end, thereby achieving the shielding effect. The first grounding shield 24’’’’, the second grounding shield 25a and the housing portions 25b are disposed in the corresponding insulating base 232 by an embedded injection method, and the first grounding shield 24’’’ and the second grounding shield 25a are in contact with the fixing section 236a of the grounding terminal 236.

In summary, the grounding shield 15 of the plug connector 1 of the present invention, together with the substrate 12, surrounds at least a portion of the plurality of signal conductive pads 122b on the mating plate portion 122 of the substrate 12. Furthermore, the first grounding shield 24, the second grounding shield 25, and the grounding terminals 236 of the socket connector 2 of the present invention together surround the plurality of signal terminals 235 of the terminal module 23. Furthermore, when the plug connector 1 is connected to the socket connector 2, the grounding terminal 236 of the socket connector 2 is electrically connected to the grounding shield 15, and each pair of signal terminals 235 of the socket connector 2 is electrically connected to a corresponding pair of signal conductive pads 122b. The grounding shield 15 covers and shields the free ends 235e of multiple pairs of signal terminals 235 or their contact portions 235f. This prevents electromagnetic interference from affecting signal transmission, enabling the connector to maintain high signal integrity at high transmission speeds.

However, the above description is merely an example of the present invention and should not be used to limit the scope of the present invention. Any simple equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of the patent application and the contents of the patent specification shall still fall within the scope of the present invention.

100: Connector assembly; 100a-100d: Connector assembly; 1: Plug connector; 11: Plug housing; 12: Base plate; 121: Connecting plate; 121a: Signal conductive pad; 121b: Grounding conductive pad; 122: Connecting plate; 122b: Signal conductive pad; 122c: Grounding conductive pad; 13: Cable; 14: Sheath; 15: Grounding shield; 15’, 15”: Grounding shield; 15’’’, 15””: Grounding shield; 15’’’’: Grounding shield; 151: Contact portion; 151’, 151”: Contact portion; 151a: Raised strip; 152: Wall portion; 152’, 152”: Wall portion 153: Connecting part; 153’, 153”: Connecting part; 153’’’: Connecting part; 153a: Contact bevel; 153b: Receiving groove; 154: Fixing part; 155: Connecting section; 2: Socket connector; 21: Socket housing; 22: Insulation body; 221: Surrounding wall; 23: Terminal module; 23”: Terminal module; 23’’’: Terminal module; 231: Terminal assembly; 232: Insulation base; 235: Signal terminal; 235a: Fixing section; 235b: Welding section; 235c: Spring arm section; 235d: Contact section; 235e: Free end; 235f: Contact part; 236: Grounding terminal; 236’: Grounding terminal; 236a: Fixing section 236a’: Fixed section; 236b: Welded section; 236c: Spring arm section; 236d, 236d’: Contact section; 236e: Metal part; 236f: Conductive plastic part; 24, 24’: First grounding shield; 24”, 24’’’: First grounding shield; 24’’”: First grounding shield; 24a: First shielding area; 24b: Second shielding area; 24c: Contact part; 24c’: Contact part; 24d: Wall part; 24e: Connecting part; 24e’: Connecting part; 24d’: Wall part; 24g: Reverse folding connecting part; 24h: Sleeve part; 24i: Connecting section; 24i’: Connecting section; 24j, 24k: Lug; 24j’: Clamping piece; 24m: Clamping part. 24n: Abutting part; 24p: Pressing part; 25, 25’: Second grounding shield; 25a: Second grounding shield body; 25b: Shell part; 25c: Contact part; 25d: Wall part; 25e: Connecting part; D1: Front-back direction; D2: Up-down direction; D3: Left-right direction

Other features and effects of the present invention will be clearly shown in the embodiments with reference to the drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention, in which a plug connector and a socket connector of the connector assembly are not yet connected; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment, in which the plug connector and the socket connector of the connector assembly are not yet connected, and a plug housing of the plug connector and a socket housing and an insulating body of the socket connector are omitted in the figure; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the first embodiment, illustrating two terminal groups of the socket connector of the connector assembly, each terminal group including a first grounding shield; Figure 4 is a partial enlarged view of Figure 3, illustrating the assembly state of the first grounding shield with signal terminals and grounding terminals; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a socket connector according to the first embodiment, wherein the socket housing and the insulating body of the socket connector are omitted in the figure; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the first embodiment, wherein the plug connector and the socket connector of the connector assembly are mated, and the plug housing and the cover of the plug connector, and the socket housing, the insulating body, and the insulating base of the socket connector are omitted in the figure; Figure 7 is a perspective view of a plug connector according to a second embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention; Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of a plug connector according to the second embodiment; Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of a plug connector according to the second embodiment. Figure 10 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention, in which the plug connector and the socket connector of the connector assembly are not yet connected; Figure 11 is a perspective view of the third embodiment, illustrating the structure of the first grounding shield of the plug connector; Figure 12 is a perspective view of the third embodiment, in which the plug connector and the socket connector of the connector assembly are not yet connected, and the plug housing of the plug connector, the socket housing of the socket connector, and the insulation body are omitted in the figure; Figure 13 is a perspective view of the third embodiment, illustrating the structure of the first grounding shield of the socket connector; Figure 14 is a perspective view of the third embodiment, in which the plug connector and the socket connector of the connector assembly are connected, and the plug housing, the enclosure, the socket housing, the insulating body, and the insulating base of the plug connector are omitted in the figure; Figure 14A is a perspective view of a variation of the third embodiment, in which two grounding shields are connected by a connecting segment; Figure 15 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention, in which the plug connector and the socket connector of the connector assembly are not yet connected; Figure 16 is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment, in which the plug connector and the socket connector of the connector assembly are not yet connected, and the plug housing of the plug connector, the socket housing of the socket connector, and the insulation body are omitted in the figure; Figure 17 is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment, in which the plug connector and the socket connector of the connector assembly are connected, and the plug housing of the plug connector, the cover, the socket housing of the socket connector, the insulation body, and the insulation base are omitted in the figure; Figure 18 is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment, illustrating the state in which a pair of clamping pieces of the first grounding shield of the socket connector are clamped to the grounding shield cover of the plug connector; Figure 19 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention, in which the plug connector and the socket connector of the connector assembly are not yet connected; Figure 20 is a perspective view of the socket connector of the fifth embodiment; Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view of the socket connector of the fifth embodiment; Figure 22 is a perspective view of the fifth embodiment, in which the plug connector and the socket connector of the connector assembly are not yet connected, and the plug housing of the plug connector, the socket housing of the socket connector, and the insulation body are omitted in the figure; Figure 23 is a perspective view of the fifth embodiment, in which the plug connector and the socket connector of the connector assembly are connected, and the plug housing, the cover, the socket housing, the insulation body, and the insulation base of the plug connector are omitted in the figure; Figure 24 is a perspective view of the sixth embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention, in which the plug connector and the socket connector of the connector assembly are not connected; Figure 25 is a perspective view of the sixth embodiment, in which the plug connector and the socket connector of the connector assembly are not connected, and the plug housing, the socket housing, and the insulation body of the plug connector are omitted in the figure; Figure 26 is a perspective view of the sixth embodiment, in which the plug connector and the socket connector of the connector assembly are mated, and the plug housing, the cover, the socket housing, the insulating body, and the insulating base of the plug connector are omitted in the figure; Figure 27 is a cross-sectional view of the socket connector of the sixth embodiment; Figure 28 is a perspective view of the socket connector of a seventh embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention, in which the socket housing and the insulating body of the socket connector are omitted in the figure; Figure 29 is a perspective view of the seventh embodiment, illustrating the appearance of the first grounding shield of the socket connector, and in which the conductive plastic portion of a portion of the grounding terminal is removed; Figure 30 is a cross-sectional view of the socket connector of the seventh embodiment, in which the socket housing, the insulating body, and the insulating base are omitted; Figure 31 is a perspective view of the socket connector of the eighth embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention, in which the socket housing and the insulating body are omitted; Figure 32 is a cross-sectional view of the socket connector of the eighth embodiment, in which the socket housing and the insulating body are omitted; and Figure 33 is a perspective view of the eighth embodiment illustrating the structure of the first grounding shield of the socket connector.

100: Connector Components

12:Substrate

121: Connecting Plate Section

121a: Signal Conductive Pad

121b: Grounding conductive pad

122: Connecting Plate Section

13: Cable

15: Grounding Shield Cover

152: Wall section

153: Connecting Part

23: Terminal Module

231: Terminal block

235: Signal Terminal

235e: Free End

235f: Contact area

236d: Contact segment

24: First grounding shield

24h: Casing Section

24j, 24k: Lugs

25: Second grounding shield

25c: Contact area

25d: Wall section

25e: Connecting part

D1: Forward/Backward Direction

D2: Up/Down direction

D3: left and right direction

Claims (41)

A plug connector includes: a substrate having a mating plate portion, a plurality of pairs of signal conductive pads disposed on the surface of the mating plate portion, and a plurality of ground conductive pads disposed on both sides of each pair of signal conductive pads; and at least one ground shielding cover mounted on the surface of the substrate, the ground shielding cover and the substrate together surrounding at least a portion of the plurality of pairs of signal conductive pads. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grounding shield has a plurality of contact portions respectively contacting the grounding conductive pads, a plurality of wall portions located between the contact portions and respectively spaced to correspond to the plurality of pairs of signal conductive pads, and a plurality of connecting portions respectively connected to the contact portions and the wall portions. The plug connector as claimed in claim 2 further includes a plug housing, and the grounding shield further includes a plurality of fixing portions formed by bending from the wall portions toward the connection portions, the plug housing covering the portion of the grounding shield and the fixing portions. The plug connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of the contacts has a protrusion that protrudes toward the substrate in a direction away from the wall portion, the protrusion being used to press against the grounding conductive pad. The plug connector as described in claim 2 includes two grounding shields respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the substrate. As described in claim 5, the two grounding shields have corresponding contact portions and are connected by a connecting segment. The plug connector as described in claim 2, wherein the wall portions are connected in a flat plate shape. The plug connector as described in claim 2, wherein a receiving groove is formed on the surface of one side of the connector. The plug connector as described in claim 2, wherein the connecting portions have a contact bevel facing an insertion direction. The plug connector as described in claim 2, wherein the contacts, the walls, and the connectors have the same length along a front-to-back direction. The plug connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the wall portions are longer than the contact portions in a front-to-back direction. The plug connector as described in claim 1, wherein the substrate further includes a connector portion electrically connected to the mating plate portion. The plug connector as claimed in claim 12, wherein the surface of the connector plate is provided with a plurality of pairs of signal conductive pads and a plurality of grounding conductive pads respectively disposed on both sides of each pair of signal conductive pads. A socket connector includes: an insulating body; a terminal module disposed on the insulating body, the terminal module including a terminal group including multiple pairs of signal terminals and multiple ground terminals; an insulating base partially covering the terminal group; at least one first grounding shield located on one side of the ground terminals; and at least one second grounding shield located on the other side of the ground terminals; wherein the first grounding shield, the second grounding shield, and the ground terminals together surround the multiple pairs of signal terminals. The socket connector as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first grounding shield is electrically connected to one side of the grounding terminals in a vertical direction, and the second grounding shield is electrically connected to the other side of the grounding terminals in the vertical direction. The socket connector as claimed in claim 14, wherein each of the signal terminals and the grounding terminal includes a fixed section and a soldered section extending in a bend relative to the fixed section, and the first grounding shield includes a first shielding area and a second shielding area connected in a generally L-shape, the first shielding area for shielding the fixed section of the plurality of signal terminals, and the second shielding area for shielding the soldered section of the plurality of signal terminals. The socket connector as claimed in claim 16, wherein each of the first shielding area and the second shielding area has a plurality of contacts electrically connected to the grounding terminals, a plurality of wall portions located between the contacts and corresponding to the plurality of pairs of signal terminals, and a plurality of connection portions connected between adjacent contacts and adjacent wall portions. The socket connector as described in claim 17, wherein the first grounding shield further includes a plurality of sleeve portions and a plurality of connecting segments, the sleeve portions being respectively fitted onto the fixing segments of the grounding terminals, and the connecting segments respectively connecting the sleeve portions to the contact portions of the second shielding area. The socket connector as described in claim 17, wherein the first grounding shield further includes a plurality of folded-back connections that extend from each wall of the second shielding region toward the fixed section of the plurality of signal terminals and are connected to a wall of the first shielding region. The socket connector as claimed in claim 18, wherein each sleeve portion of the first grounding shield extends a tab in a front-to-back direction, and the socket connector includes two second grounding shields that are spaced apart in the front-to-back direction and respectively contact the tabs of the sleeve portions of the first grounding shield. The socket connector as claimed in claim 14, wherein each grounding terminal has a contact section that bends and protrudes in a left-right direction. The socket connector as claimed in claim 14, wherein each grounding terminal has a contact section that is curved and protrudes in a vertical direction. The socket connector as described in claim 17, wherein the first grounding shield further includes a plurality of connecting segments connected between the walls of the first shielding area and the walls of the second shielding area. The socket connector as claimed in claim 23 includes two second grounding shields that are spaced apart in a front-to-back direction and respectively contact the fixed sections of the grounding terminals. The socket connector as described in claim 14, wherein each grounding terminal has a contact segment that is a pair of clamping tabs. The socket connector as described in claim 14, wherein the first grounding shield includes a plurality of walls and a plurality of crimping portions, the walls being spaced apart from the plurality of signal terminals, and the crimping portions having a spring-loaded structure for contacting the grounding terminals. The socket connector as described in claim 14, wherein the first grounding shield has a plurality of contacts, a plurality of wall portions located between the contacts and corresponding to the plurality of pairs of signal terminals, and a plurality of connecting portions connecting the contacts and the wall portions, the contacts being used to contact the grounding terminals. The socket connector as claimed in claim 27, wherein each grounding terminal has a metal portion made of metal and a conductive plastic portion formed by covering the metal portion with conductive plastic, the contacts of the first grounding shield being covered by the conductive plastic portion. The socket connector as claimed in claim 14, wherein each grounding terminal includes a fixed section and a welded section that bends and extends relative to the fixed section, the second grounding shield has a second grounding shield body and a plurality of housing portions, the housing portions being respectively fitted onto the fixed section and the welded section of the grounding terminals and having one end in contact with the second grounding shield body. The socket connector as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first grounding shield is disposed within the insulating body and the first grounding shield is plate-shaped and spaced apart from the plurality of signal terminals. A connector assembly includes: a plug connector comprising: a base plate having a mating plate portion having a plurality of pairs of signal conductive pads disposed on the surface of the mating plate portion, and a plurality of ground conductive pads disposed on both sides of each pair of signal conductive pads, and at least one ground shielding cover mounted on the surface of the base plate, the ground shielding cover and the base plate together surrounding at least a portion of the plurality of pairs of signal conductive pads; and a receptacle connector including a plurality of pairs of signal terminals and a plurality of ground terminals; when the plug connector is connected to the receptacle connector, the ground terminals of the receptacle connector are electrically connected to the ground shielding cover, and each pair of signal terminals of the receptacle connector is electrically connected to a corresponding pair of signal conductive pads, wherein the ground shielding cover covers and shields the free ends of the plurality of pairs of signal terminals. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 31, wherein the receptacle connector further includes at least one first grounding shield and at least one second grounding shield, the first grounding shield being located on one side of the grounding terminals; the second grounding shield being located on the other side of the grounding terminals. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 32, wherein each signal terminal has a contact portion for contacting the signal conductive pad, and the grounding shield covers and shields the free ends of the plurality of signal terminals to their contact portions. The connector assembly as described in claim 32, wherein the first grounding shield is electrically connected to one side of the grounding terminals, the second grounding shield is electrically connected to the other side of the grounding terminals, and the first grounding shield, the second grounding shield, and the grounding terminals together surround the plurality of signal terminals. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 31, wherein the grounding shield has a plurality of contact portions respectively contacting the grounding conductive pads, a plurality of wall portions located between the contact portions and spaced apart from the plurality of signal conductive pads, and a plurality of connection portions respectively connected to the contact portions and the wall portions. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 35, wherein a receiving groove is formed on one side of the surface of each connector, and when the plug connector is mated with the socket connector, a plurality of grounding terminals of the socket connector are respectively located in the receiving groove of the connector. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 35, wherein each connector has a contact bevel in the insertion direction facing the receptacle connector for contacting the grounding terminal of the receptacle connector. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 31, wherein each grounding terminal has a contact section that bends and protrudes in a left-right direction and contacts the grounding shield of the plug connector. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 31, wherein each grounding terminal has a contact section that bends and protrudes in a vertical direction and contacts the grounding shield of the plug connector. The connector assembly as described in claim 31, wherein the substrate further includes a connector portion electrically connected to the mating plate portion. The connector assembly as described in claim 40, wherein the surface of the connector plate is provided with multiple pairs of signal conductive pads and multiple grounding conductive pads respectively disposed on both sides of each pair of signal conductive pads.